Laughter, intrigue and fun will all come to the Clemens Center this weekend when Elmira Little Theater presents the Tony Award-winning "Curtains."

The musical — with a book by Rupert Holmes, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and music by John Kander — eludes an easy description, since it's also a comedy and a murder mystery.

In fact, it's a show within a show, which is what makes it so interesting, said director Susan Tanner.

"I saw this production about five years ago in Syracuse. It came out in 2006 on Broadway. It didn't last long on Broadway, but when I saw it in Syracuse I just fell in love with it," Tanner said.

"It was such fun. It wasn't a well-known show by any stretch of the imagination, but the writers are well known. They wrote 'Cabaret' and 'Chicago.' The music was catchy and singable. It put me in mind of an old-fashioned kind of musical, just a lot of fun. It seemed like a good fit for community theater."

"Curtains" is set in 1959 and is about a troupe of actors rehearsing a show in Boston before taking it to Broadway. The show is not doing well, primarily because of the leading lady — who also becomes the victim of murder, casting suspicion on the rest of the cast, Tanner said.

"She's a fading film star and she's terrible. But she's got the name so they put her in it," she said. "She collapses at the end of bows on opening night in Boston. The next day one of the local homicide detectives comes in to investigate her murder.

"The detective is very smitten with theater himself. So he has seen all the shows and previews," Tanner said. "He has a lot to offer to the cast. He's always interjecting things to the director, like 'Don't you think this would work better?' In between trying to solve the murder, he's trying to fix the show."

The cast features Mike Lavarnway as Lt. Frank Cioffi, Bee Williams as the show's hard-edged lady producer, Padraig Wiggs and Holly Richards as the newly-divorced songwriters, Jerry Holleran as the egomaniacal British director and Emily Ann Forman as the show's sweet ingenue.

"It's definitely a family-friendly show. That's not to say there isn't the occasional profanity but it's pretty mild," Tanner said. "I think even young kids would enjoy it because there's a lot of action. I'm going to enjoy watching it and I've watched it a lot of times."

Follow Jeff Murray on Twitter @SGJeffMurray.

If you go

•What: Elmira Little Theater's production of "Curtains."

•When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and April 24-25; 2 p.m. Sunday and April 26.

•Where: Mandeville Hall at the Clemens Center in Elmira.

•Tickets: $18 for adults and $14 for students and senior citizens.

•Information: For more information and to purchase tickets, call the Clemens Center box office at (607) 734-8191.